Physiological Differences Contributing to Adverse Effects

Physiological differences involve any variety between individuals in terms of how they function as a living organism. Some of these differences can be due to varying age, sex, or the race of an individual. These physiological conditions can play a large role in determining how the body reacts to certain substances. Trigger Warning: this page discusses diets and eating disorders.

• Age
  • different life stages correspond with varying nutritional requirements
  • infants, children, and adults all require differing caloric intakes, with infants requiring less calories than adults
  • the nutritional wellness industry often promotes weight loss diets that consist of very low calorie diets
    • these low calorie diets are not only harmful to the physical health of an individual, due to lack of nutrients, but also to their psychological health
  • eating disorders among young adolescents and adults are becoming overly present in today’s society
    • these disorders are often a result of diet culture, the belief that being thin and having a desired appearance is more important than nutritional health and wellness
    • diets are marketed as programs that help improve overall health, however, they can lead to worsened health due to the prevalence of disordered eating

• Sex
  • biological males and females have differing qualities that affect the metabolism of certain substances in the body
    • biological males typically have greater muscle mass, more bone mass, and a lesser percentage of body fat compared to biological women
  • these differences can result in differences in the amount of drug, supplement, or any other treatment that causes a toxic effect in the individual
    • men will likely require a higher dose, compared to women, to result in a toxic effect; this is likely due to their greater muscle and bone mass

• Race
  • individuals of different races have specific genetic differences that can lead to variations in how individuals respond to certain drugs, supplements or any other treatments
    • for example, African American women are more likely to experience cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, compared to caucasian women
  • additionally, differences in environmental conditions can lead to differences in how individuals respond to these substances
  • it is therefore really important to factor in race and the environment when researching various supplements, pills, etc., to ensure you are not taking something that is specifically bad for your race or environment

• Pre-existing conditions
• pre-existing health conditions can result in worsened adverse effects of certain substances
  • example: individuals with diabetes should be wary of taking multivitamin gummies that are filled with excess sugar
• patient history is important to review when starting a new treatment to insure there will not be a harmful effect. This is another reason why consulting a healthcare professional prior to taking a supplement, pill, or any other wellness product
• lifestyle regards the way a person lives including the level of physical activity and diet
  • this is important in terms of adverse effects because oftentimes individuals who are more physically active will have a lower risk of some diseases compared to individuals that are not active
  • in terms of diet, individuals who are not receiving enough vitamins may actually benefit from taking supplements, whereas individuals who may have a high-nutrient diet would not